The Taliban has given a list of about 5,000 prisoners to the Americans and their release has been written into the agreement under discussion, the Associaited Press reported on Monday, citing an unidentified Taliban official.
Analysts and even the US’s own Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko, however, said neither Afghanistan nor the US is ready for the Taliban prisonders’ release, the report said.
“There’s a need for Afghan and U.S. officials to do their due diligence on any Taliban prisoners they’re planning to release, in order to minimize the likelihood that they’ll set free jihadists that can do destabilizing things and undercut a fledgling peace process,” warned Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the U.S.-based Wilson Center.
In a report in September, SIGAR said Afghans on both sides of the conflict need to avoid missteps of the past.
Sopko said Congress should consider funding reintegration only if a peace deal provides a framework for reintegrating ex-combatants, there is strong monitoring of the process and violence is dramaticaly reduced.
US and Taliban negotiators resumed peace talks earlier this month, which had been halted by President Donald Trump in September, who cited a deadly attack in Kabul in announcing the decision.
Reports suggest that the Taliban leadership council has agreed to a temporary ceasefire.
